Northern New Jersey Fishing Report
The glancing blow from Tropical Storm Debby seemed to shuffle the fishing deck in the angler’s favor. Most reports indicate much better fluke fishing since the weekend with bigger fish and more limit catches.
Tuna fishing also rebounded nicely with bluefin and yellowfin caught from in close out to the canyons. False albacore are in with the tuna and mahi-mahi are on the pots. Anglers are also catching blues off the surf and offshore with bonito in the mix.
Blackfish are at the inlets and in the Point Pleasant Canal. And crabbing is still off the charts.
Mark Fuduli at Tackle World in Rochelle Park said the fluke fishing has definitely improved with better reports from the Atlantic Reef and the Swash Channel. Locating a patch of fish then working it is the best way to get your limit, he said. He also had good reports of bluefin on the inshore spots and yellowfin in the Hudson Canyon. Freshwater fishing has also been good with lake trout and largemouth bass at Round Valley Reservoir. Landlocked salmon are also being caught at Merrill Creek Reservoir on live herring.
Danny Stolba at Fish Tail Bait and Tackle in Carteret said construction on a new ferry terminal has disrupted fishing at the pier. He’s just hoping things settle down before the fall run commences.
Capt. Phil Sciortino at the Tackle Box in Hazlet said Monday was the best day of the fluking of the summer. Party, charter and private boats all reported better fishing. Scotland Grounds, he said, proved to be a good location. There are still loads of spot and croakers being caught around Raritan Bay.
Joe Julian at Julian’s Bait and Tackle in Atlantic Highlands said cobia continue to be caught at the Sticks on live eels. Fluking also picked up over by Breezy Point. Spot and croakers keep biting in the bay and he also heard of a few grunts caught that must have made the trip north with Debby. Crabbing, he added, is just terrific.
Mike Pinto at Giglio’s Bait and Tackle in Sea Bright said there are still a lot of small fluke in the surf. Those putting the time in are finding a few keepers. He’s been getting a lot of positive feedback from fluke anglers on American Bait Work’s BaitFuel available at the shop. Pinto reported seeing a lot of spearing in the surf and he expects the fishing will get a lot better very soon.
Mike Gleason at TAK Waterman in Long Branch said the tuna bite has been on for the last couple of days from in close out to the canyons. There’s been a little bit of everything with bluefin, from shorts to schoolies to overs. There have been some yellowfin in the mix as well. Gleason said stick baits, paddle tails, poppers and jigs have all been catching fish. Gleason said Kiba poppers and Hogy Protails available at the shop have been working really well for tuna anglers. There are still a lot of short fluke being caught off the beach, he added.
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Johnny O. at Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said the folks in rental boats are catching keeper fluke in the Shark River but they have to go through plenty of shorts to get to them. Toggers are picking blackfish at the inlet but, again, short fish outnumber keepers.
The Big Mohawk and Capt. Cal III out of the marina indicated much better fluke fishing earlier this week and the party boats are also catching blues and chub mackerel. A 10.1-pound fluke captured the top spot at last Sunday’s Shillelagh Club Tournament. Our crew on King’s Treasure didn’t make it to the scales but had a great time catching fluke, sea bass and chub mackerel in what is always a great event.
Capt. Steve Spinelli on the Skylarker out of Belmar said he’s seen an improvement in the fluke fishing since the storm and there are plenty of sea bass around. He did notice an absence of ling after the blow.
Capt. Rich Falcone on the Golden Eagle out of Belmar reported good bluefishing over the past several days with fish up to 8 pounds on diamond jigs. The bite came at different times of the day but there was plenty of action with most anglers getting their limit. Bonito were often mixed in with the blues. Capt. Falcone is also catching fluke and sea bass.
Christiano Rizzo at the Reel Seat in Brielle said there are plenty of bluefin in the 30-inch range being caught within 20 miles of the beach. Most of the catches have been made on the troll. There are loads of albies mixed in with the bluefin, he said. There are also yellowfin being caught in the Hudson Canyon with the average fish around 50 pounds. Rizzo also reported that the best fluking of the year came at the start of the week at the Axel Carlson and Sea Girt reefs. Blackfishing with green crabs has been good on the Manasquan side of the inlet and in the Point Pleasant Canal, he said.
Chris Parlow from Captain Bill’s Landing in Point Pleasant Beach reported that the inshore bluefin tuna bite has been outstanding over the last few days. The Tolten Lumps and the Little Italy area have been the hot spots. He reported that most of his customers have been using jigs and poppers. There have also been a number of cobia caught as well. The canyon continues to be hot for yellowfin and bigeye. Fluke fishing on the Axel Carlson and Sea Girt reefs has been significantly better over the last week. He reported that he had good fishing on Tuesday on the Axel. There have also been schools of bonito coming in and out of the Manasquan Inlet in the last week as well.
Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said blues and bass are being caught in the Point Pleasant Canal on live spot. There’s a lot of blackfish action as well but not a lot of keepers. Ocean fluking turned on this week on the reefs and wrecks and the party and charter boats were putting some nice catches together. Tangen said bluefin are all around the southern and inshore lumps. Tangen fished with his mom, Karen, on Capt. Jerry Malanga’s Eastbound on Tuesday and boated a nice one. There are cobia to be caught in the same area. He, too, reported yellowfin in the Hudson being caught chunking and on poppers.
Capt. Jay Richardella on Side Job Charters out of the Manasquan Inlet has been getting into the bluefin as well on the troll. A charter earlier this week caught a 62-incher. He’s got open dates through September and can be contacted through his website.
Capt. Danny Gregory on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach said the fluke fishing has been much better since the storm with more keepers and more limits around the boat. The daily pool fish has been between 4 to 7 pounds. The Norma K III sails two trips daily leaving at 8 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Frank Giacalone at Gabriel Tackle in Brick also reported that the fluke bite has picked up on the local reefs. Boats are also reporting catches of sea bass and blackfish as well. Blackfishing in the Point Pleasant Canal has also been pretty good and there are reports of triggerfish as well. Snapper fishing in the lagoons has picked up and crabbing remains good.
Pete Kupper at Charlie’s Bait and Tackle said the surf still has a lot of spot, there’s short fluke off the beach with an occasional keeper and bluefish popping up sporadically. Fluke are also being caught in upper Barnegat Bay, he said. Snapper fishing is getting better back in the bay and the crabbing is very good.
Frankie Z. at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said fluking is holding up in the surf. Shell E. Caris reported three keepers on Tuesday morning on a Lucky Craft Pointer jerk bait. Frankie also reported better fluking on the reefs and bluefin tuna in close. He had a report of bluefin busting in bunker schools 500 yards from the beach. Spanish mackerel are also in the area.
Best Bets for the Weekend
The good news is that offshore fluking has improved. The bad news is that ocean conditions don’t look very promising for the weekend. That’s not good for tuna anglers either as sailing windows will be limited or non-existent. That fishery had bounced back nicely after Debby’s departure.
You never know, we may get a break but it looks like Ernesto will be sending some waves our way.
Anglers may have to confine themselves to rivers and bays where there are fluke to be caught, blues and bass can be found, spot and croakers are plentiful and the crabbing is excellent.